What started in Paris

Chapter 12

Chapter Sixteen

Amsterdam isn't what I thought it would be like, not as glamorous, or as clean as I expected. But I've only seen pictures before now so my opinion was a bit bias.

Stray, broken pieces of ice floated in the canals; snow covered the docked row boats and completely incased the parked bicycles. The colorful townhouse's lights reflected onto the mirror like water and wind was beating, relentlessly, against us. With my thin jacket I was freezing, but ever thankful for my boots that crunched the stained snow beneath me. The snow was everywhere; it was in my hair and sticking to my jacket. It covered everything in its path.

There were little bakeries at seemingly every street corner, selling all types of food from Thai to large wheels of Brie, sending an overwhelming mix of smells our way, and making my stomach growl even more. It being as late at night as it was the clubs were in full swing. Dubstep vibrated the street beneath us.

     "Cold?" Adam asks me suddenly; hesitantly wrapping an arm around my shoulders as I nod, grateful for his warmth. For his wide shoulders to block out some of the wind that burned my fare skin.

   "How far to the hotel?" Adam asks Adeana, having to shout over the wind.

   "Not much farther." She replies, her voice muffled by the grey scarf hiding half of her face.

   "We should really get coffee." I say, leaning into him a bit. When I chance looking up at him I have to contain a laugh at the sight of his fogged over glasses and the snow in his ink black hair.

      "Well it is the perfect weather for coffee." He says, his breath coming out in a white fog as he looks up at the night sky and sticks out his tongue to catch a few falling snowflakes.

   "You're so weird." I say, laughing just a bit, but catch myself. We weren't here for a joy ride.

  Adam stops in the street, forcing me to stop as well. His eyes grow softer and he opens his mouth to say god knows what but he's interrupted.

   "Are you coming?" Adeana shouts from up ahead, as the wind picks up and rustles the bare branches of the trees that are placed strategically down the street.

Adam cuts her a look before sighing and turning back to me. "Now lets go get you that coffee." He whispers, just loud enough for me to hear before tugging me along with him as he hurries to catch up to a bickering Adeana and Tom.

Coffee, I don't think I've ever appreciated it as much as I do at the moment, and this wasn't gas station coffee, this was fancy coffee from one of the many cafes lining the street. It smelt faintly of cinnamon and vanilla, leaving a familiar bitter taste in the back of my throat, heating me up from the inside out as we approach a canal house that ends up being our hotel. Honestly, it looked exactly like the hundreds of other canal houses we have already passed, it's greyish brown, fading paint being the only thing setting it apart.

As we walk through one of the hallways I catch sight of the rather, unusual, paintings that line the walls. Abstract and confusing, they could be interpreted into anything really, but Adeana rushes us on before I get the chance to make my own assumptions. She ushers us to the end of the hall, pointing Adam and Tom to the door across from the one that apparently was ours before opening the door and stepping quickly inside with a long sigh. Leaving Adam and I alone. 

  "Well, this is goodnight I guess." He says, putting his hands deep in his pockets and looking down at his feet before looking at me shyly over his glasses.

"Yes, I suppose so." I say, trying to keep my voice neutral. Though if I was being honest, I didn't want to be away from him.

He nods, biting his lip and looking back down, bouncing on the balls of his feet over the creaking wood floorboard.. "Are you going to be okay in there? Because if not I can rent another room." He asks, looking me in the eye and I have to bite back a smile.